POLICE MagazinePolice News for the Law Enforcement Communityhttp://www.policemag.com
en-usCopyright (c) 2018 POLICE Magazine. All Rights Reserved.60LAPD Draft Policy Calls for Quick Release of Body Camera Videoshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/technology/news/2018/02/21/lapd-draft-policy-calls-for-quick-release-of-body-camera-videos.aspx
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 13:11:00 PSTIn a move once staunchly resisted by Chief Charlie Beck and the officers’ union, the Los Angeles Police Commission has introduced a draft policy that would allow the release of video of critical incidents such as shootings that were recorded on officers' body-worn cameras.

Until now, the LAPD had a policy that prohibited the release of such video.

Under the proposed plan, the LAPD would also begin to release some video shot by cameras in patrol cars and on drones – and video collected from private security cameras and bystanders.

Last year, former Commission president, Matt Johnson, initiated a review of the policy as pressure grew to release body camera footage. That pressure in part resulted from an increasing number of bystander videos showing officers shooting people and the outcry those videos produced.

The FBI won’t publish its annual comprehensive crime report until later this year, but an early review of police department crime data shows that killings decreased by at least 1% in large jurisdictions compared with 2016.

There were 5,738 homicides in the nation’s 50 biggest cities in 2017 compared with 5,863 homicides in 2016, a roughly 2.3% reduction.

The national decrease in killings in 2017 was largely driven by double-digit percentage dips in some of the nation’s biggest cities, including Chicago (14.7%), New York City (13.4%) and Houston (11%). In fact, the New York Police Department reported that its annual murder tally fell below 300 for the first time and the city notched its lowest per capita murder rate in nearly 70 years.

Baltimore is the big city with the highest per capita murder rate in the nation, with nearly 56 murders per 100,000 people. At 343 murders in 2017, the city tallied the highest per capita rate in its history. Columbus tallied 143 murders — 37 more than 2016 and the most the city has seen in a single year.

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]]>Non-Sworn Assistants Help Phoenix Police Stretch Patrol Resourceshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/21/non-sworn-assistants-help-phoenix-police-stretch-patrol-resources.aspx
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 13:11:00 PSTA group of new Phoenix police assistants are working the city's streets in marked vehicles and uniforms, responding to a variety of calls in an effort to free up patrol officers for more urgent matters.

The 16 civilian assistants, who graduated in November, are driving in marked vehicles wearing a uniform, but are not sworn police officers, Phoenix police officials said.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said police assistants have been used to help officers in the past, and they will be recognized by their vehicles and uniforms, that differ from police officers.

Police assistants respond to calls such as to file reports for car accidents, thefts, burglaries or criminal damage that do not involve a suspect at a scene or another potentially dangerous situation.

The assistants are not police officers and are not trained to carry a gun or use force. They can file reports and even take fingerprints, AZCentral reports.

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]]>Following Up on School Shooting Threat, California Deputies Find Guns in Student's Homehttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/21/following-up-on-school-shooting-threat-california-deputies-find-guns-in-student-s-home.aspx
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 13:11:00 PSTLos Angeles County Sheriff's deputies seized rifles, handguns, ammunition and dozens of "high-capacity" magazines from the Norwalk home of a student at El Camino High School in south Whittier last week after a resource officer overheard the teenager threatening to shoot up the school.

The student, who remains unnamed because he is a minor, was arrested by deputies on suspicion of making criminal threats on Friday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell.

Also arrested was one of his older brothers, 28-year-old Daniel Eriberto Barcenas, a U.S. Army veteran — deputies said the brother told them the weapons belonged to him. Barcenas was arrested on multiple weapons charges, including possession of an "assault rifle" and failure to register a firearm, the Whittier Daily News.

A resource officer for the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District first heard the threat, according to Robert Jacobsen, an attorney for the district. He said the officer, Marino Chavez, told district officials he heard the student talking about shooting up the school “sometime in the next three weeks.”

When deputies arrived at the home Friday they found two AR-15 rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity ammunition magazines, the sheriff said.

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A Houston Police K-9 was injured Tuesday night chasing a suspect and had to be euthanized.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told ABC13 it all started when officers tried to pull over a stolen car around 1 a.m. That led to a chase that ended with the suspect running into a wooded area.

The K-9, Rony, was deployed to pursue the suspect and seriously injured his leg after he got stuck on a log or some other type of wooden object.

"Essentially, what happened was, his elbow shattered so there were breaks in multiple different places," said veterinarian Dr. Laura Ron with Vergi Animal Emergency Hospital where the decision was made to put Rony down.

Dr. Ron said prior to this injury, Rony had suffered previous injuries and he had bad arthritis in his other three legs, which left her with no treatment options.

"Amputating his leg would not be fair because that puts a lot more weight on his remaining legs that would make them fail and they're already on a lot of medications so even though it was the most horrendous of options, it was the most fair for the dog," said Dr. Ron.

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]]>Houston K-9 Rony had to be put down after shattering his leg while chasing a suspect.U.S. Park Police Officer Accidentally Shot While Serving Warranthttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/21/u-s-park-police-officer-accidentally-shot-while-serving-warrant.aspx
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 13:11:00 PSTAuthorities say a U.S. Park Police officer was taken to the hospital after he was accidentally shot while executing a search warrant in Northwest D.C. Wednesday morning.

D.C. Police said the officer was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center after he was shot in the lower extremities. Park Police said the incident happened because "a Park Police Officer’s firearm was unintentionally discharged."

Police told WJLA TV the officer is currently at the hospital in stable condition.

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A Prince George's County, MD, police officer was shot and killed in Brandywine on Wednesday morning while trying to protect a woman at a domestic. The suspect was later killed by police.

Cpl. Mujahid Ramzziddin was a 14-year veteran of the force and a father of four children, Fox 5 reports.

The suspect, who had a protective order against him, reportedly used a shotgun to kill the officer, who was not in uniform. The Officer Down Memorial Page reports Ramzziddin lived near the home where the incident occurred and was off duty at the time he was killed.

The suspect took the officer's gun and then led police on a chase that concluded in the area of Route 210 and Old Fort Road. Police shot and killed the suspect.

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A Mobile, AL, police officer was shot late Tuesday evening and rushed to the University of South Alabama Medical Center where he died.

Officer Justin Billa was shot and mortally wounded by a murder suspect at a residence. The suspect identified as Robert Hollie is dead following a barricade incident. It is unknown if he committed suicide or was killed by responding officers.

]]>Louisville Plans to Use Drones to Respond to Gunshotshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/technology/news/2018/02/20/louisville-plans-to-use-drones-to-respond-to-gunshots.aspx
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:59:00 PSTLouisville, KY, is vying to become probably the first city in the country to use autonomous drones to respond to the sound of gunfire, reports Government Technology.

The city has applied for a special program the Federal Aviation Administration is running, where it will give a handful of cities temporary permission to get around long-standing drone rules in order to run pilot projects. Those rules, which operators typically have to get individual waivers to get around, include flying drones outside the operator's line of sight, flying at night, and flying above people.

All of those rules would make it pretty difficult for a city to do what Louisville wants to do. The city has ShotSpotter sensors spread throughout its urban fabric, listening for gunshots. When such a noise is picked up, and interpreted by ShotSpotter's analysts to be gunfire and not a similar sound, a notification is sent to police who can respond to the scene.

Louisville wants to try out the concept of sending self-routing drones to fly to the scene first. That could bring about several possible benefits: Since they're airborne, drones would likely be able to arrive on scene faster than a police officer. With an aerial view, they could capture video evidence to help authorities find the person who fired the weapon. And in the case of a false alarm — there have been reports of sensors interpreting fireworks and backfiring cars as gunshots — the drones might be able to keep an officer from responding to nothing.

The FAA is expected to announce in May which pilot projects it will approve.

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Authorities are investigating after a loaded gun was found at the Bibb County Jail in Georgia.

Last Wednesday afternoon, a husband of a female inmate contacted the jail staff after his wife told him there could possibly be a gun inside the female section of the jail. Corrections deputies later found a small .22 caliber handgun, which was loaded with one bullet.

According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, a female inmate reportedly hid the weapon inside her "body cavity" as she was processed into the jail, reports WAGA-TV. Then, the weapon was found inside the personal belongings assigned to another inmate. Authorities are seeking warrants on both inmates.

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]]>Authorities are seeking warrants on two inmates after a loaded gun was found in the Bibb County Jail.Suspect Bites LAPD Officers Multiple Timeshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/20/suspect-bites-lapd-officers-multiple-times.aspx
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:35:00 PSTTwo Los Angeles Police Department officers were bitten several times Monday night by a 30-year-old man who had triggered a cash register alarm at an AT&T store in Tarzana, CA, police said.

Officers from the West Valley Division responded to an alarm at the store around 7:15 p.m., said LAPD Officer Tony Im. It's unclear what the man was doing in the store, Im said.

While interviewing the man, the officers got into a physical altercation with the suspect, Im said. Both officers suffered multiple bites from the man during the struggle. The officers then used a TASER to subdue him, reports the Los Angeles Daily News.

Both officers went to Providence Tarzana Medical Center for treatment of their bite wounds, according to Im.

"At the very least I would expect he would face assault with a deadly weapon — his mouth — on the officers," Im said.

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]]>Carrie Underwood Donates $10,000 to Oklahoma Officer Injured in Crashhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/20/carrie-underwood-donates-10-000-to-oklahoma-officer-injured-in-crash.aspx
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:27:00 PSTCountry singer Carrie Underwood donated $10,000 to the GoFundMe page for an Oklahoma police officer who was injured last week in a rollover crash that left him with a broken neck, reports Fox News.

Underwood made the donation under her married name, Carrie Fisher, on the GoFundMe campaign Saturday for Checotah Assistant Police Chief Justin Durrett. The officer was heading to work on Feb. 11 when his truck slid off the road and crashed.

Durrett was ejected from his vehicle. He suffered a broken neck, bruised spine, and multiple gashes on his head, according to the GoFundMe page. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit and can't feel anything from his chest down.

Underwood is a childhood friend of Durrett's, and they attended church together, KOMO News reported.

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]]>Carrie Underwood donated $10,000 to help pay for Checotah (OK) PD Assistant Police Chief Justin Durrett&amp;#39;s medical bills. (Photo: GoFundMe)Baltimore Forces Officers to Stay by Threatening to Suehttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/20/baltimore-forces-officers-to-stay-by-threatening-to-sue.aspx
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:17:00 PSTIn a city with a record-breaking murder rate, and respect for police at an all-time low, many people are wondering why more Baltimore Police officers don’t quit. For many of them, the reason is simple - the department won’t let them quit.

Baltimore PD is one of the few departments that actively sues officers who resign, forcing officers to stay.

In order to resign without being sued, officers need to work for years after completing field training.

Current Baltimore officers told Blue Lives Matter that the requirement used to be that officers stay for two years or be sued for $12,000. But after a large number of officers fled the department, the department changed the requirement to five years or be sued for $27,000 - well over half of the officers' starting annual salary of $48,971.00.

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Prosecutors announced Friday they will seek the death penalty against an admitted gang member accused of killing his cousin in East Los Angeles and then opening fire on two Whittier, CA, police officers, killing one and wounding the other.

Michael Christopher Mejia, 27, is charged with the Feb. 20, 2017, killings of Officer Keith Boyer, 53, and of his own cousin, 47-year-old Roy Torres.

The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer in the performance of his duties, murder for the purpose of avoiding arrest and multiple murders.

Mejia is being held without bail and was ordered to return to a Norwalk courtroom on April 6 for a pretrial hearing, NBC Los Angeles reports.

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President Trump on Tuesday presented the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor to 12 "great heroes" who risked "their lives to protect America's citizens and communities."

The award is the highest national honor a public safety officer — local police, fire department, sheriff's officers and rescue personnel — can receive, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Officers who went "above and beyond the call of duty" in various emergency situations to protect human life received the honors from the president, including those who jumped into action during a terror attack more than two years ago, Fox News reports.

The officers honored included six law enforcement officers who responded to the San Bernardino, CA, terror attack that killed 14 people in December 2015 San Bernadino, California.

* Cpl. Rafael Ixco, San Bernadino Sheriff's Department

* Det. Bruce Southworth, San Bernadino Sheriff's Department

* Deputy Shaun Wallen, San Bernadino Sheriff's Department

* Det. Brian Olvera, San Bernadino Police Department

* District Attorney Investigator Chad Johnson, San Bernadino County District Attorney's Office

* Officer Nicholas Koahou, Redlands Police Department

Here's a list of the other law enforcement officers who were honored.

Lt. William Buchanan, Avery County (NC) Sheriff's Office for rescuing a man from a burning vehicle.

Chief Douglas Schroeder, Hesston (KS) Police Department, for responding alone to an active shooter at a business. Schroeder shot and killed the gunman.

Patrolman Andrew Hopfensperger, Jr., Antigo (WI) Police Department, for response to an active shooter at a high school dance. The gunman shot and wounded two students outside the building, and was shot and killed by Hopfensperger.

Three firefighters were also honored.

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]]>President Trump on Tuesday presented the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor to 12 &amp;quot;great heroes&amp;quot; who risked &amp;quot;their lives to protect America&amp;#39;s citizens and communities.&amp;quot;Broward County Sheriff, Some Florida Chiefs Push for AR-15 Banhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/news/2018/02/20/broward-county-sheriff-some-florida-chiefs-push-for-ar-15-ban.aspx
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:17:00 PSTFor Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, the anguish of Florida’s worst school shooting remains raw. Families are still burying some of the 17 students and faculty members killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, victims of a deeply troubled ex-student armed with an AR-15 rifle.

For Miami Beach Police Chief Dan Oates, the scars are six years old but still deep. He headed the police department in Aurora, Colorado, when a mentally ill killer armed with an AR-15 rifle killed a dozen and injured 70 others in a movie theater.

These two South Florida law enforcement leaders want more gun control:

First, they want AR-15 rifles out of the hands of civilians. Second, they argue that lenient state and national gun laws and mental health privacy laws are hampering the mission of police to keep the public safe from gun violence, prohibiting officers from confiscating weapons — often even from people who have produced a trail of warnings like accused Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.

They’re not alone among top state law enforcement officers calling for lawmakers to tighten gun control. Florida Police Chiefs Association Kevin Lystad, Chief of the Miami Shores Police Department, told the Miami Herald his organization plans to offer gun legislation to state lawmakers in the coming weeks.

“Congress messed up when they didn’t renew the assault weapons ban [in 2004]. I think that was problematic,” Lystad said. “We need to deal with assault weapons, background checks. It’s about finding common ground.”

One immediate change that Oates and Israel want to see: Ban the legal sale of the AR-15s used in both massacres. “In only one condition should you have an assault rifle, if you’ve joined the Marines and you’re going to fight,” Israel said.

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]]>Wife Guilty of Assisting in Murder of 2 Northern California Deputieshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/19/wife-guilty-of-assisting-in-murder-of-2-northern-california-deputies.aspx
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 10:58:00 PSTJurors found a Utah woman guilty of murder Thursday for aiding her husband as he killed two Northern California sheriff's deputies in 2014.

The Sacramento County jury convicted Janelle Monroy Thursday of 10 charges including murder, attempted murder and carjacking, attempted carjacking, and possessing an assault rifle. They rejected her argument that she feared Luis Bracamontes would have killed her if she didn't help him.

She faces a possible life sentence when she is sentenced March 23, reports the Associated Press.

Prosecutors said she willingly moved Bracamontes' rifle from vehicle to stolen vehicle after he killed Sacramento County Deputy Danny Oliver and before he killed Placer County Detective Michael Davis Jr. hours later.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Bracamontes after he was convicted by a separate jury.

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A Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper and a suspect were airlifted to University Hospital after a shootout unfolded along I-10 East Sunday afternoon.

According to DPS spokesman Deon Cockrell, the shootout happened after the suspect gave the trooper a false name during a traffic stop, resisted arrest, and fled, leading the trooper on a chase, reports KSAT.

The trooper was able to stop the suspect, but when the suspect got out of the car, Cockrell said the suspect fired at the trooper and the trooper returned fire. Both were shot.

The trooper was flown to University Hospital in the DPS helicopter after suffering a gunshot wound to the arm, according to scanner traffic. The suspect was taken to the same hospital via AirLife, also with a gunshot wound.

Cockrell did not provide the condition of the trooper or the suspect.

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]]>A Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper and a suspect were shot and wounded in a shootout after a traffic stop. NH Senate OKs Making Court Officers Eligible for Death Benefithttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/19/nh-senate-oks-making-court-officers-eligible-for-death-benefit.aspx
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:46:00 PSTNew Hampshire's court security officers who are killed in the line of duty would be eligible for the same death benefits as police officers and firefighters under a bill passed by the state Senate.

Under current law, families of police officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty receive $100,000. A bill that would expand that to court security officers passed the Senate on Thursday, reports the Associated Press.

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]]>Florida Deputy Killed in Crash with Semihttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/19/florida-deputy-killed-in-crash-with-semi.aspx
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:30:00 PSTA Florida deputy was killed Saturday morning after a blown tire caused a semi tractor-trailer to collide with his patrol car on Interstate 95 in Brevard County, reports the Bradenton Herald.

Brevard County (FL) Sheriff's Office Deputy Kevin Stanton, 32, of Titusville was killed in the crash at 5:10 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He was a training officer for the sheriff's office and had been with the agency for more than a decade, officials said.

The right front tire of the semi, which was loaded with car parts, sustained a tread separation, and the truck veered into the path of the deputy's cruiser, the FHP said. Both vehicles were southbound near mile marker 227.

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Memorials are going up around Chicago to honor the police commander who was shot and killed Tuesday near the Thompson Center in the Loop.

Flags fly at half staff and Cmdr. Paul Bauer's 18th District is draped in black and purple. A memorial filled with flowers and balloons pays tribute to the commander, who gave his life for the safety of Chicago.

The support doesn't stop there. There have been candlelight vigils in Bauer's Bridgeport neighborhood. Even outside the Thompson Center, flowers and candles are lined up on the street. If you look up, you see signs of support for the Chicago Police Department from the windows.

Chicagoans lined up to sign sympathy books at the 18th District police station and in the lobby of City Hall, sharing their thoughts with the family Cmdr. Bauer left behind. Many had never met Bauer, yet felt it was their duty to pay their respects to an officer who made the ultimate sacrifice for their city, WGN TV reports.

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]]>A memorial for Commander Paul Bauer of the Chicago Police Department was set up just steps from where he was killed.Jury Awards More Than $37M to Family of Maryland Woman Over Fatal Police Shootinghttp://www.policemag.com/channel/swat/news/2018/02/16/jury-awards-more-than-37m-to-family-of-md-woman-in-civil-case-over-fatal-shooting.aspx
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 13:31:00 PSTA Baltimore County jury has ruled in favor of the family of Korryn Gaines — and awarded more than $37 million in damages — in the civil lawsuit brought by the family of the Randallstown, MD, woman who was fatally shot by a county police officer after a six-hour standoff in 2016.

The jury found that the first shot from the police officer who fired at Gaines, killing her and injuring her son, Kodi, was not reasonable, and therefore the civil rights of both Gaines and Kodi were violated under state and federal statutes, reports the Baltimore Sun.

The jury awarded more than $32 million to Kodi in damages, and $4.5 million for his sister, Karsyn. Gaines’ father and mother were awarded $300,000 and $307,000, respectively, and the Gaines estate was awarded $300,000.

Gaines’ family sued the Baltimore County government and the officer who fired the shots, Cpl. Royce Ruby, alleging civil rights violations, and had sought more than $42 million for Gaines’ estate and survivors.

Ruby was cleared of any wrongdoing by the state's attorney and was not criminally charged. He has been promoted from the rank of officer to corporal.

As many as five jail inmates in Chicago may face additional charges for clapping as the suspected killer of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was escorted from his first court appearance on Thursday.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video that shows a group of detainees waiting in a holding cell to see a judge after suspect Shomari Legghette’s bond hearing.

“We are taking all the action in our power to address this horribly despicable behavior,” Cara Smith, chief policy officer for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement to ABC News. “We’ve forwarded the video to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for consideration in sentencing."

The sheriff’s office told ABC News it has begun transferring inmates involved to other jails in Illinois that work with their office.

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]]>A Henderson, NC, police was reportedly shot in the chest and back Thursday night in a fight that killed the suspect. The officer was treated and released at a local hospital.FBI Under Fire Over Failure to Pursue Cruz Tip, Florida Governor Wants Director to Resignhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/16/fbi-under-fire-over-failure-to-pursue-cruz-tip-florida-governor-wants-director-to-resign.aspx
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 12:37:00 PSTEmbed from Getty Images

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday said it failed to act on a tip that the teenager accused of killing 17 people in Florida had guns and the desire to kill, drawing calls from Florida’s Republican governor for the FBI director to resign.

A person close to accused gunman Nikolas Cruz called an FBI tip line on Jan. 5 to report concerns about him, the FBI said in a statement.

“The caller provided information about Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,” it said.

This information was reportedly not passed on to agents in the Miami FBI office.

Reuters reports that Florida Governor Rick Scott said the FBI’s director should resign after the agency’s admitted mistake over the handling of the January tip.

“The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” Scott said in a statement. “We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act.”

]]>Texas Officer Mistakenly Shoots Man who Grabbed Gun from Hostage Takerhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/16/texas-officer-mistakenly-shoots-man-who-grabbed-gun-from-hostage-taker.aspx
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 12:37:00 PSTThe Amarillo (TX) Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting Wednesday morning in which a Faith City Mission student was wounded while in possession of a gun he wrested away from a suspect. The student was hospitalized but is expected to be OK.

Police said the initial call just before 9 a.m. referenced an armed suspect holding approximately 100 people stage in the mission’s chapel.

APD Special Crimes Unit investigators believe responding officers entered at two entrances to the building at 401 S.E. Second Ave. and, according to an APD news release, came into contact with the Faith City Mission student with a gun in his hand.

One or more officers fired shots at the student, who had wrestled the gun away from the hostage-taker. The student was hit and taken to a local hospital by ambulance, Amarillo.com reports.

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]]>Active Shooters, Gun Control, and Mental Healthhttp://www.policemag.com/blog/swat/story/2018/02/active-shooters-gun-control-and-mental-health.aspx
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 12:33:00 PSTRon MartinelliEven while the horrific crime scene at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, FL, remains active, as it will for days to come, politicians and media pundits are again circling the wagons and inappropriately getting on their soapboxes to use the Valentine’s Day massacre at the school as their spear point to press for more gun control measures.

I’m sure that “gun control” is a cause that resonates with many Americans who are uninformed on the many complicated issues we in the law enforcement and criminal justice communities are forced to deal with daily. Even within our own communities, many professionals are both torn and frustrated by the lack of forward movement needed to safeguard our communities and our children from the violent acts of active shooters and armed criminals. What the recent history of the political tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats documents is much competing political rhetoric, but no common-sense compromise solutions toward keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to our communities.

There are many layers to America’s gun violence problem.

Mental Illness

An analysis of many active shooter mass-murder events provides evidence that the killers had severe mental health problems and that this precipitated their assaults.

Part of our society’s failure to properly address the issues of and care for people with mental illness is ineffective treatment laws that require someone to be a danger to themselves or others before they can be treated over their objection.

Nationally, the lack of political commitment and funding to solve our country’s epidemic mental health crisis is abysmal. A 2014 research project conducted by the Treatment Advocacy Center regarding mental health commitment laws in the United States found:

No state earned a grade of “A” on the use of its civil commitment laws.

Only 14 states earned a cumulative grade of “B” or better for the quality of their civil commitment laws.

17 states earned a cumulative grade of “D” or “F” for the quality of their laws.

Only 18 states were found to recognize the need for treatment as a basis for civil commitment to a hospital, and several of those were found to have less than ideal standards.

While 45 states have laws authorizing the use of court-ordered treatment in the community, only 20 of those were found to have optimal eligibility criteria.

27 states provide court-ordered hospital treatment only to people at risk of violence or suicide even though most of these states have laws allowing treatment under additional circumstances.

12 states rarely or never make use of court-ordered outpatient treatment (often called “assisted outpatient treatment”), including eight states with laws on their books authorizing such treatment.

20 states received penalty points for the prevalence of bed waits. In two of the most populous states–Florida and Texas–bed waits were reported to typically exceed two weeks.

The identification of and proactive response to people in mental health crisis should be a community-based effort. Any successful strategy to identify and intervene when high-risk people are in crisis must involve parents, teachers, schools, social workers, friends, neighbors, law enforcement and the courts. When any one of these components are either reluctant to act or fail to get involved, the mechanism for cutting the lit fuse for ticking time bombs like active shooters will fail and violence more likely than not will result. This is unacceptable.

Although law enforcement officers are not trained psychologists. The “reasonable officer doctrine” dictates that first responders should at least be knowledgeable in some basic psychology and cues of mental illness sufficient to quickly assess a subject’s potential for self-harm and harming others. School administrators, teachers, social service and those professionals who have daily contact with at-risk students and adults should receive similar training. Again, this strategy requires legislation, commitment and funding.

Active shooters and Suicidal Subjects

Research into the history of active shooters, especially the suspects who committed the past 25 school shootings since the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, shows us that they share many of the same traits found in suicide completers.

Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S., with approximately 11 suicides occurring per 100,000 people. Annually, there are approximately twice as many suicides nationally as homicides and firearms are used in 58% of all suicides.

The typical profile of a suicide completer or attempter is classically a person experiencing mental health problems such as severe depression who has poor coping skills and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Many are abusers of drugs and alcohol used for self-medication. People experiencing suicidal ideations are most often socially isolated from their peers, have no familial or social support systems, feel estranged from the mainstream and have recently experienced the loss of an intimate relationship. They also have a lethal means to accomplish their “death act.”

In the case of the Parkland, FL, school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, the psychological profile developing is quite like a suicide completer. It is interesting to note that 40% of active shooters end their event by suicide or by “suicide by cop.” Cruz is reportedly in the other 60%; police say he had a plan to escape and evade capture, it just didn’t work.

The objective of the assessment of verbal and written communication and behavioral indicators and stressors is to see the warning signs when they are being communicated; and to judge how close the person is at risk of suicide or violence to others. Such communications and behaviors are alarms that sound out to others to, “Notice me!” “I’m in trouble!” “I need help!” It is important to remember that the methods of both active shooters and suicide are determined by both availability to a means of lethality and the personality of the individual.

The psychiatric professional or law enforcement first responder assessing a suspected perpetrator of violence or a subject with suicidal intent should pay attention to the subject’s presentation of signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders, with particular attention to mood disorders such as primary major depressive disorders, mixed episodes, schizophrenia, severe anxiety with panic and agitation, and personality disorders.

Communication Cues

Risk assessors should pay attention to any communication “cues” presented by the persons of interest. This includes not only verbal communications, but written and social media posts. Studies of suicide completers indicate that 69% of completers expressed verbal or written suicidal communication sometime prior to their suicides. The same study documented that within one month before suicide, 33% made direct threats of suicide and when less direct communications were considered, this figure rose to 55%.

While no research has been conducted to date to determine how many school active shooters have communicated bizarre, threatening or violent posts; including posts with photos of weapons on social media, I would wager that the statistics of this might be similar to suicide completers.

Lighting the Fuse

Both active shooters and suicide completers and attempters are psychological ticking time bombs. While the person presenting with suicidal ideations more often simply directs their violence inwards and kills only themselves, the active shooter directs their violence outward toward others. There are six basic motivations for an active shooter to kill: (1) anger, rage and revenge; (2) mental health disorders; (3) anti-government sentiment; (4) anti-religion sentiment; (5) terrorism; and (6) pure evil.

However, both the active shooter and the suicide-intent person most often experience a precipitating event–the ignition of a fuse–to cause them to explode and kill. In the case of Nikolas Cruz, I don’t find it at all coincidental that he had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman High for fighting with the new boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend; his adopted mother had died suddenly last November, and he chose Valentine’s Day to explode in a well-planned murderous assault on his former classmates. Once the bomb explodes, you cannot control it.

The Gun Control Paradigm

America is not the United Kingdom, or the European Union, both of which have very strict gun control measures in place. In America, we have a totally different history and culture with respect to the possession of firearms, as well as constitutionally guaranteed civil protections for gun ownership. It is no coincidence that the Second Amendment of our Bill of Rights, which guarantees the ownership of weapons to citizens, follows our First Amendment, which guarantees our freedoms of speech and assembly.

You cannot expect what works in other parts of the world with different governments, laws and cultures to work here. Freedoms and liberties must be balanced against government intrusions. The discussion we must have is how far do we want to go as a nation to repress the freedoms of law-abiding citizens against those of the reckless, the criminal and the mentally impaired who need to be controlled.

Rationally and practically, few if any gun control laws would have proved successful in thwarting the murderous assault of Nikolas Cruz. He had no criminal history; to my knowledge had never been involuntarily committed for psychiatric observation; he successfully passed a weapons background check and was legally able to purchase a firearm. The type of firearm he used is irrelevant. He was vetted by our legislated “system” of checks and balances.

The lawless care nothing about our laws. They care about committing violent crimes and killing us. While we can mitigate or perhaps to an extent curtail a mentally disordered person from buying a firearm legally; they can buy them on the street. The answers lie in intense vigilance, reporting, treatment and proactive enforcement.

As I have repeatedly written, the real issue that must be ultimately acknowledged and resolved is that guns are merely a mechanism of violence and not the cause of violence. Behavior is the forensic cause of violence. Therefore, any efforts we take to curb gun violence must primarily address the behaviors and people who select firearms as their device to kill and maim our citizens.

Prosecution Trends

While gun violence has been way up, federal prosecutions for gun crimes during the past eight years went way down. Many states allow defendants in gun-related crimes to plea down their charges to almost nothing. In many courts, there is such a fear of “racial disparity” in prisons and prison over-crowding that suspects who possess or use guns during the commission of crimes almost never get a just sentence that both modifies behavior and keeps them off the street.

If we are ever going to deter gun violence in America, we must learn to treat the behavior. This may mean building more prisons; expediting the adjudication of gun crimes; mandatory, no plea bargain prosecutions; and locking offenders up for longer periods of time to keep them off the street. If our review of the criminal histories of violent criminals who use guns shows us that they were undeterred from using guns due to a lax or otherwise enabling dysfunctional criminal justice system, then we must commit to making it functional.

The Way Forward

As a nation, we need to get serious about modifying dangerous and violent behavior. Race, socio-economics and politics cannot be a part of our calculus in protecting innocent citizens and children from gun violence. We need to literally scare potential offenders into not possessing or using guns to commit crimes. History tells us that the most violent of gun offenders and cop killers are recidivists who had multiple arrests and convictions for felony and gun crimes yet were consistently released from jail or prison early. They were not first-time offenders.

In truth it is the case that in some rare cases, some goal-oriented people are going to get through our safety net and be successful in killing many people in one incident. These are the quiet, deadly ticking time bombs like Las Vegas active shooter and mass murderer Stephen Paddock. No one saw Paddock coming, apparently not even the woman who lived with him for years. We may never discover his motives for indiscriminately mowing down 58 victims and injuring hundreds of others.

However, if we are truly serious about reducing gun violence, suicides and active shooter deaths, we must stop the political posturing and the self-serving, useless rhetoric and commit ourselves to the many viable solutions that are out there. We owe it to our children to find a way.

Ron Martinelli, Ph.D., BCFT, CMI-V, is a forensic criminologist and a federal and state courts qualified forensic expert. Martinelli is a retired San Jose, CA, detective and a retained expert for numerous state attorneys general offices and cities. He specializes in psychological profiles, in-custody deaths, officer-involved shootings, and active shooter events. Martinelli is a certified medical investigator and a board-certified expert in forensic traumatology. He can be reached at: DrRon@martinelli.com. His training site is www.responsetoactiveshooter.com.

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]]>Missouri Bill to Up Penalties for Harming Police Dogs Failshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/15/missouri-bill-to-up-penalties-for-harming-police-dogs-fails.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 16:48:00 PSTMissouri lawmakers on Monday voted down a bill that would have increased the penalties for killing or injuring police dogs.

The measure needed 82 votes to pass and only 73 House members voted in favor of it. Sixty-eight members turned it down.

If enacted, people convicted of killing or incapacitating police dogs and other animals used by law enforcement would have faced at least three years behind bars and possibly 10. The current penalty is up to four years imprisonment, but there's no mandatory minimum prison sentence, reports the Associated Press.

But black House members slammed the proposal, citing the use of police dogs on African-American protesters historically. Democratic Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty said passing the bill would have sent the message that police dogs' lives matter more than the concerns of African-Americans.

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Arnold, MO, Officer Ryan O'Connor, 44, was shot in the back of the head December 5 by a burglary suspect he was transporting to the Arnold Police Department.

It was unclear whether he would survive. But now he is making considerable progress in recovering from his traumatic brain injury. Barbara O'Connor says it is nothing short of a miracle that her husband has begun to speak, reports KTVI.

"He shared his first sentence with me, which was 'I just got to get my badge,'" she said. "I laughed. I cried. I gave him his badge."

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]]>An Arnold, MO, officer who was shot in the head is greatly improving at a specialized medical facility in Colorado.Video: Man Steps in to Help MO Officer Arrest Resistive Suspecthttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/15/video-man-steps-in-to-help-mo-officer-arrest-resistive-suspect.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 16:09:00 PST

A man received recognition this week for coming to the aid of a Kansas City, MO, officer who was struggling with a suspect resisting arrest, reports KCTV.

On Tuesday, the Kansas City (MO) Police Department gave Blake Applebury a certificate of appreciation.

"Honestly, if it hadn't been for this gentleman, I don't know what would've happened," Sgt. Scott Simons said.

Simons was on patrol in July when he spotted a stolen car. He radioed for backup as soon as he realized there were two people in the car, but the suspect walked out of the store before backup arrived. So Simons tried to arrest him on his own.

"I got one handcuff on and unfortunately he caught me at a moment of disadvantage and knocked me to the ground. I was on my back and really just struggling to maintain control," Simons said.

A crowd was forming, and they weren't on the officer's side.

"All of a sudden this young man walked out of the crowd and jumped in, grabbed a hold of the upper body of the suspect and knocked him down, which allowed me to get him back into custody," Simons said.

Simons says he watched as Applebury got grief from some in the crowd for stepping in and says his bravery will never be forgotten.

"He obviously put his life in peril to help me. It was very reassuring there are still people out there willing to jump in and help," Simons said.

No one was hurt.

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]]>A man received recognition this week for coming to the aid of Kansas City, MO, Sgt. Scott Simons who was struggling with a suspect resisting arrest.Accused Gunman Confessed to Florida High School Shooting, Police Sayhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/15/accused-gunman-confessed-to-florida-high-school-shooting-police-say.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:43:00 PSTThe 19-year-old accused of shooting and killing 17 people at his former high school told police he carried out the rampage, according to a probable cause report.

In an interview with police, Nikolas Cruz said "he was the gunman who entered the school campus armed with an AR-15 and began shooting students that he saw in the hallway and on the school grounds," the document states.

"Cruz stated that he brought additional loaded magazines to the school campus and kept them hidden in a backpack until he got on campus to begin his assault."

Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Wednesday afternoon, reports CNN.

A judge ordered that Cruz be held without bond at a hearing Thursday afternoon, reports KNSD.

The FBI said they investigated a 2017 comment made on a YouTube channel possibly connected to the suspect that said "I'm going to be a professional school shooter." Officials said they were unable to identify the person who made the comment.

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According to an arrest report, the 11-year-old placed a handwritten note under the assistant principal’s office door that read, “I will bring a gun to school to kill all of you ugly ass kids and teachers [expletive]. I will bring the gun Feb, 16, 18. BE prepared [expletive]!”

Police said they have surveillance video showing the student putting the note under the door.

She also provided a written confession to school administration.

The student has since been transported to the Broward Juvenile Assessment Center, and she is expected to appear in juvenile court Friday.

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Legghette, 44, has a criminal history stretching back more than two decades, court records show. He picked up new charges while out on bond, on parole and serving probation, making him the kind of repeat offender whom Bauer recently urged authorities to keep off the street, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Bauer had been in the area after attending active shooter training to prepare officers for mass shootings.

The Cook County medical examiner's office said he died of multiple gunshots.

The married father of a 13-year-old daughter is the first Chicago officer fatally shot since 2011.

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]]>Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer was murdered Tuesday. (Photo: Chicago PD)NYPD Officer Found Not Guilty in Fatal Shooting of Mentally Ill Womanhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/15/nypd-officer-found-not-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-mentally-ill-woman.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:36:00 PSTA New York Police Department sergeant has been found not guilty in the fatal shooting of a bat-wielding mentally ill woman, a judge ruled Thursday morning.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary said he found Sgt. Hugh Barry not guilty of all charges — including murder — in the Oct. 2016 shooting of 66-year-old Deborah Danner, reports the New York Post.

"Clearly this case involved a terrible tragedy and emotions on both sites are elevated," Neary said, before declaring that Barry was found not guilty of second-degree murder, first and second degree manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide.

Barry testified during the two-week proceeding that he shot the schizophrenic woman twice because he feared for his life.

"I just see the bat swinging, and that's when I fired,'' the 32-year-old said from the stand Tuesday. "I'm looking at this bat that can crack me in the head and kill me."

Defense lawyer Andrew Quinn argued Wednesday that Barry was imminently threatened when Danner took a step in his direction holding the bat.

A nine-year veteran of the 43rd Precinct, Barry could have faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted on the murder charge.

"There is no victory here today," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch said in a statement, "only relief that justice has been served and a good man who was doing a difficult and dangerous job has been exonerated."

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]]>Photo: NYPD/FacebookDetroit Officer Was Killed During Unapproved Training Exercise, Chief Sayshttp://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/news/2018/02/15/detroit-officer-was-killed-during-unapproved-training-exercise-chief-says.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 13:49:00 PSTDetroit police Officer Darren Weathers was killed as his team conducted a surveillance training exercise that wasn't approved by the commander of the department's professional standards section, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Wednesday, and he may have run a red light.

It was initially reported that Weathers, 25, was conducting a training exercise in southwest Detroit when the crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. But on Wednesday, Craig said it was uncertain whether Weathers, who died from his injuries at Henry Ford Hospital, was involved in the training, reports the Detroit Free Press.

"I can't tell you with certainty that, while this officer's team was involved in surveillance training, he may have been trying to meet up with the team or he could have been actively involved," Craig said.

Craig said there are two active investigations following Weathers' death: a fatal crash investigation and an internal probe.

The first will look into causal factors in the fatal crash, Craig said, and that is being handled by the department's Fatal Squad, because the incident happened on the streets of Detroit.

The internal probe will focus on the "actual training, why it was conducted, how extensive was it," Craig said.

]]>Officer Darren Weathers, 25, was killed in a crash during training. (Photo: ODMP.org)Florida First Responders One Step Closer to PTSD Coveragehttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/15/florida-first-responders-one-step-closer-to-ptsd-coverage.aspx
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 13:41:00 PSTBill 227 unanimously passed the Florida House Government Operations and Technology Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday, bringing the proposed PTSD first responder legislation one step closer to becoming law in the state.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Willhite, a fire captain and paramedic for Palm Beach County, FL, would provide first responders full workers' compensation benefits "for mental or nervous injuries regardless of whether such injuries are accompanied by physical injuries," reports WKMG.

The bill moves to a final House subcommittee hearing next week before the Government Accountability committee, which is chaired by Rep. Matt Caldwell, of District 79.

If the bill is approved it would become law July 1, 2018.

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Broward County (FL) Sheriff Scott Israel says 17 people were shot to death Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. A former student is in custody.

Law enforcement from numerous local agencies and from federal agencies responded to the scene. Tactical teams arrived in several armored rescue vehicles and cleared the school.

A federal official identified the suspect as Nicolas Cruz, according to the Associated Press. A former student, he was taken into custody off campus without incident, said Sheriff Israel. The suspect was both inside and outside the school building in the course of the shootings, authorities say.

The suspect slipped out of the school after the shooting by blending in with other students who were trying to escape, two law enforcement sources and an eyewitness told ABC News.

There are reports the suspect was on a watch list.

“We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him,” said math teacher Jim Gard, who told the Miami Herald Cruz had been in his class last year. “There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.”

There are 3,208 students in grades 9-12 enrolled at the school, the Sun Sentinel reports.

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]]>The former student suspected of killing multiple people at a Broward County high school is taken into custody Wednesday. He reportedly escaped the campus by posing as one of his intended victims. (Photo: ABC News screen shot)Maryland Lawmaker Wants to Disband Baltimore Police Departmenthttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/14/maryland-lawmaker-wants-to-disband-baltimore-police-department.aspx
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 14:59:00 PSTAfter this week’s conclusion of a federal corruption trial that convicted two Baltimore police officers, a Maryland lawmaker floated a radical proposal: disband the Baltimore Police Department.

Del. Bilal Ali, a Baltimore Democrat, proposed the idea in a memo he sent to Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and her newly appointed police commissioner after a federal jury convicted two Baltimore detectives for their roles in one of the city’s biggest police corruption scandals. Six other officers pleaded guilty in the case.

The idea quickly generated reaction among politicians Tuesday — from one calling it “nonsense” to others saying Ali's idea should not be dismissed.

“I write today to ask that Baltimore City’s leadership seriously evaluate Camden’s approach, and begin consideration on whether to disband and reconstitute BPD from the ground up,” Ali wrote. “There is a blueprint for success, empirical data to guide us, and a light at the end of the tunnel. Our only choice now is whether we will begin to walk toward it.”

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]]>Man Arrested After Barricading Himself in Police Vehicle, Firing Shot at California Officershttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/news/2018/02/14/man-arrested-after-barricading-himself-in-police-vehicle-firing-shot-at-california-officers.aspx
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 12:37:00 PSTA SWAT team took a mentally ill suspect who barricaded himself in a police car and fired a shot at officers into custody Wednesday morning in Garden Grove, CA, police say.

An Orange County Mental Health worker called police to report a patient was acting psychotic, Garden Grove Police Lt. Carl Whitney told City News Service. Officers arrived around 9:25 p.m. Tuesday and were asked to stand by as the worker conducted an evaluation, Whitney said.

The worker determined the man needed to go to another facility for further evaluation and officers had the man wait in a police car until an ambulance arrived. The man was not under arrest and was not handcuffed, Whitney said.

While in the back of a police car, the man gained access to the front of the car where he took possession of a semiautomatic patrol rifle, Whitney said.

The man fired one shot, which went through the windshield, prompting officers to evacuate the area and call SWAT officers to the scene. No injuries were reported and officers did not return fire, Whitney said.

After several hours of negotiation, the suspect surrendered.

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A Cleveland County, OK, Sheriff's deputy helped save a boy's life by donating some of his bone marrow.

Deputy Neil McMillin joined the bone marrow registry in 2013 and, two years later, he was notified that he was a potential match for a baby named Kayden.

After the painful procedure, there's a certain amount of wait time until the donor and the recipient can connect. In December, McMillin traveled to Texas to visit Kayden, whose family members reached out as soon as they were able, KOCO TV reports.

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